Children of the Moon Queen: Exotic Matter by L.D. Lampley

Children of the Moon Queen: Exotic Matter (Series – Book 1) “Never make eye contact with Oren Moon,” his intense eyes and powder-white skin makes Oren the town oddity. But he must discover his hated skin will allow him to control time and space and is made of Exotic Matter—the rarest thing in the Universe. When his parents dropped a bombshell—they were all moving to DC, and he had to go to a prestigious private school; Oren fought to stay in the prison of a life he knew, never wanting to see his dad again! Things only got worse. On his 13th birthday, an ancient alien presence entered his dreams. “Come to me, Oren,” the Moon Queen called each night. Inanna shared his startling eyes and his DNA. Her carved effigy holds her consciousness, lost below the waves during the great flood, and with each dream, Oren’s mental ability expands. His new powers awaken, allowing him to read others’ thoughts. Oren’s dad, Edwin, never returns from his trip to Russia. Oren and his mother, Tori, are forced to accept help from ex-CIA agent Augusta Moon, a grandmother Oren had never met. Nothing in this new world was as it seemed. Everyone appeared harmless, but as Augusta was fond of saying, “Don’t let the grey hair fool you.” Wilson, her tech man, and Ryu, a retired Samurai warrior, are her team. Augusta’s old boss, Director Redfin, is completely senile, or is he? Oren meets his first friend, Steven Hawkins, “No relation to Stephen Hawking.” Still, almost as brilliant. He also creates a tentative friendship with Olivia Santos, an ex-enforcer of the Senate gang. With Inanna’s waking, other entities come out of the shadows. The Igigi, a species brought to Earth to work the mines, are dying. Oren now has to save Edwin but also promises to help the Igigi. When Oren looks into Inanna’s recovered bust, their eyes lock, and she dumps her life force into him. Only after the download is complete does he realizes her help comes with a great cost. At his age of maturity, she will be reborn inside him, and Oren will no longer be. Li Ying, Redfin’s assassin, makes a deal with Oren. Steal the first Orb for them, and she will take him to his father. Oren can feel his internal clock ticking toward Inanna’s rebirth. With nothing left to lose, he and his friends acquire the Niveus Orb. To his surprise, Li Ying and Redfin keep their promise and take Oren to Russia. Unbeknownst to him, Edwin, on his 13th birthday, heard Inanna’s siren call, and he, too, had the same powers. Edwin knew they were coming for him and, in his attempt to save himself, opened a wormhole and became trapped inside. Oren must use his mother and father’s bond of love to find Edwin out of the limitless wormholes around him. They should have known Redfin wasn’t capable of planning this when the final card is revealed—Alexei Moon, Oren’s grandfather, is alive and ruthlessly pulling all the strings. Cloned from Inanna’s remains, Alexei, since birth, was methodically trained by the KGB. He was never allowed personal attachment making him a Sociopath and a state asset. He wants Inanna’s power, her orbs, and her ship. The professor of antiquities gave Edwin the secret moonstone—the key to Inanna’s spaceship. Oren saves Edwin and reunites his parents, with Inanna screaming inside his head, “Don’t Give Him My Ship!” Oren realizes too late that his grandfather had always planned to take “his offspring” with him. Alexei can’t have them find another Orb and follow him. During the final battle, Oren’s parents gladly give their lives, entering the ship to save him, and he watches them disappear to Albusolis. Only then does Inanna allow Oren to see her last memory, and he discovers by opening a path to her planet, an even greater threat awaits them. Has trying to save his parents doomed the Earth?